Which wire is hot?

[tshepherd]

I have a 1997 Chevy K1500. The wiring harness which leads to the front axle 4wd actuator has two wires. One is blue and the other is black. Which wire is supposed to be the hot wire and which is the neutral or ground wire? Can't seem to find a wiring diagram of the truck. Can you help? Thanks!!

[777stickman]

Black is "almost" always ground.

[tshepherd]

That is what I am thinking, but what will happen if I reverse them in this situation? Will I simply blow a fuse or will I fry my actuator?

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by tshepherd

That is what I am thinking, but what will happen if I reverse them in this situation? Will I simply blow a fuse or will I fry my actuator?

Black and light/blue wiring is for non electronic shift set up.
Black is ground and light/blue is 12 volt power feed for tripping the motor on to lock axle in.
Do not try to cross wires unless you want sparks flying.

If the actuator motor is bad GM has a updated motor and wiring kit for a lot better and faster shifting.

[JaVeRo]

With only having two wires you must still have the thermal actuator or you are looking at the wires to the switch that tells the lights everything is engaged.

For the themal actuator the black is ground and the blue is 12v+ when in 4wd.

For the motor driven actuator black is ground, blue is 12v+ when in 4wd, and the brown wire is constant 12v+ when the key is on. The brown wire is added as part of the upgrade from thermal to motor driven, the constant 12v is needed to disengage the axle when 12v is lost on the blue wire (transfer case put in 2wd).

The switch that tells the lights/controller that everything is working has a blue wire (the same blue wire as the actuator forks on top of the transmission) and I think the other wire is black with a white stripe, not a 100% on that.

James

[tshepherd]

I want to thank everyone for their input. I now have the problem fixed and I am ready for snow again. Thanks again!!

[bracketshark]

What fixed the problem?